Fixture for making a shipping carton



June 1965 w. F. MACKAY ETAL 3,188,075

FIXTURE FOR MAKING A SHIPPING CARTON Filed Jan. 11, 1962 FIG. 1 v

FIG. 3

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INVHVTOR. William F. Muckoy BY Francis X. Nemloha United States Patent l 3,188,075 FEX'IURE FOR lv IAIGNG A SHIPPING CARTUN William F. Maclray, Addison, and Francis X. Nernlaha, Berwyn, llL, assignors to Automatic Electric Lahoratories, Ina, Northlake, IlL, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 11, 1 962, Ser. No. 165,687 2 Claims. (Cl. 269-44) This invention relates to a fixture for use in assembling a shipping carton.

The present fixture may be used for the assembly of a shipping carton such as that disclosed in Patent No. 3,136,414, filed on January 3, 1962 by W. F. Mackay and assigned to the present assignee. The carton disclosed in that application may be easily assembled by this fixture.

It is an object of this invention to provide a fixture which facilitates rapid and inexpensive assembly of a shipping carton. I

More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a fixture for the assembly of'a shipping carton of the general type disclosed in the aforementioned Mackay application. The carton of that application is made from a single sheet of corrugated material which has been bent into a U-shaped channel. Wooden inserts are placed in the channel and the channel is secured to those wooden pieces.

In the embodiment disclosed herein, the fixture is used to hold the various end pieces or support pieces of the carton while the sheet material is being secured to them. Means defining a slot along at least one side and extending lengthwise of the fixture is used to bend the sheet material into a U-shaped channel. The sheet material is then stapled to the wooden pieces.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side View of the fixture showing the leaf members and the clamps which hold the wooden end pieces in place against the leaf members. Also shown is the center block member.

FIG. 2 is a penspectiveview of the fixture with the wooden end pieces clamped in position and the wooden center piece placed over the center block member.

FIG. 3 is .a top view of a sheet of the corrugated material used with this fixture which has been prescored along predetermined lines.

FIG. 4 is an edge view of the corrugated sheet also showing the prescoring.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a wooden end piece.

FIG. 6 is an end view of the fixture showing the way in which the corrugated sheet may be bent along the prescored lines."

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 2 shows a fixture according to the invention, which has a support base 27 with leaf members 20, 21, and 22, and center block 23 extending upwardly therefrom. In that figure it is seen that clamp 24 is used to hold wooden piece 13, which is to form one of the end pieces of the carton, against leaf member 21 of the fixture, and that clamp 25 holds end piece 13A against leaf member 21. A typical construction for end piece 13A is shown in FIG. 5, and it is seen that end piece 13 is a mirror image of 13A. The U-shaped wooden piece 15 which is to form the intermediate support member of the shipping container, rests over block 23, and ridges 28 on block 23 prevent wooden piece 15 from movement on block 23. A bracket 26 extends from each side of base 27 and forms a slot between bracket 26 and base 27.

It should be noted that leaf member 21 is secured to base 27 by bolt 29, and leaf member 21) is similarly secured to base 27 by bolt 32 as seen in FIG. 1. Leaf Patented June 8, 1965 ice member 22 is secured to base 27 by bolt 31. A plurality of tapped holes for bolt 31 have been located in base 27 so that leaf 22 is adjustable along base 27. Block 23 is secured to base 27 by bolt 30, and is likewise adjust-able along base 27.

Sheet 17, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 has been prescored along lines 11 and 12 and is bent along one of these prescored lines by inserting one edge of the sheet into the slot formed between the bracket 26 and base 27 and deflecting the sheet about as seen in FIG. 6. Another bracket 33 on the opposite side of the fixture is used in a similar manner for bending the sheet along the other prescored lines. It will be noted that by providing brackets 26 and 33, one on each side of base 27, it is possible to insert sheet 17 into the slot formed between bracket 26 and base 27 and bend sheet 17 along prescored line 12 as shown in FIG. 6 to form an L-shape of sheet 17. Sheet 17 is then removed from the slot formed by bracket 26, rolled over the top of the fixture, and the unbent side'of sheet 17 inserted in the slot formed by bracket 33 until prescored line 11 is adjacent the slot. Deflecting the free end of sheet 17 bends sheet 17 about bracket 33 to form a U-shaped channel. If only one such bracket is used, the sheet would have to be turned end-for-end before bending the second prescored line. It should be understood that sheet 17 could be bent along its prescored lines by other methods, for example, a longitudinal slot could be cut in the upper surface of the table so that sheet 17 could be inserted therein and deflected. In either case the bracket or slot is positioned vertically along the side of base 27 so that when sheet 17 is inserted in the slot the lower end of sheet 17 comes against an abutment, such as a mounting plate on which base 27 is secured, or if desired, the floor may be used as the abutment.

After the sheet is bent into a U-shape, it is placed over the leaf members 20 and 21 and center block 23. Stapling guns are used to staple sheet 17 to members 13, 13A and 15. The completed carton is removed from the fixture, ready to be used as a shipping container.

It may be required to assemble cartons which are shorter in length than the aforementioned car-ton. In such an instance, a sheet 17 of correspondingly shorter length is used and adjustable leaf 22 is set a distance from stationary leaf 21 corresponding to the length of new sheet 17. Adjustable block 23 is then set midway between leaf 22 and leaf 21. As described above, wooden blocks 13, 13A and 15 are positioned in the fixture and sheet 17 is stapled to them. It should be pointed out that instead of two separate leaf members 20 and 22, 'it'would be possible to merely provide one leaf member which could be adjusted along the base 27.

While we have described the above principles of our invention in connection with a specific embodiment, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope and spirit of our invention as hereinafter claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A fixture for, the construction of a shipping container having a U-shaped'channel of corrugated sheet material stapled to wooden end pieces and a U-shaped center piece comprising:

a base member with a substantially flat top surface;

a pair of solid leaf members positioned perpendicular to said surface with their lower edge secured to said base member to define the shape of and support said corrugated material, at least one of said leaf members being adjustable with respect to said base member;

clamping means connected to each of said leaf members and projecting outward from said lower edge to receive and support said wooden end pieces against said leaf members;

and a projecting block member extending perpendicular to said' top surface and secured to said base member between said leaf members to support said U- shaped center piece;

whereby said U-shaped channel of corrugated sheet material can be conveniently stapled to said Wooden end piecesand' said U-shaped center piece.

2. A fixture for the construction of a shipping con- Itainer made from corrugated sheet material with lines scored there/across, two wooden end pieces, and: a U- shaped center piece comprising:

a base member with a substantially flat top surface;

means connected to said base member to serve as a facility to shape said sheet material into a U-shaped channel configuration;

a pair of solid leaf members for supporting said end pieces during construction of said shipping container, said leaf members being positioned perpendicular to said top surface with their lower edge secured to said base member, at least one of said leaf members being adjustable with respect to said base member;

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 238,582 3/81 Grubb. 564,240 7/96 Ashley 269227 871,957 11/07 Rigg 269-319 1,908,748 5/33 Grant. 1,958,492 5/34 Newhouse 1--l15 ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS J HICKEY, FRANK SUSKO, Examiners. 

1. A FIXTURE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A SHIPPING CONTAINER HAVING A U-SHAPED CHANNEL OF CORRUGATED SHEET MATERIAL STAPLED TO WOODEN END PIECES AND A U-SHAPED CENTER PIECE COMPRISING: A BASE MEMBER WITH A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT TOP SURFACE; A PAIR OF SOLID LEAF MEMBERS POSITIONED PERPENDICULAR TO SAID SURFACE WITH THEIR LOWER EDGE SECURED TO SAID BASE MEMBER TO DEFINE THE SHAPE OF AND SUPPORT SAID CORRUGATED MATERIAL, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID LEAF MEMBERS BEING ADJUSTABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE MEMBER; CLAMPING MEANS CONNECTED TO EACH OF SAID LEAF MEMBERS AND PROJECTING OUTWARD FROM SAID LOWER EDGE TO RECEIVE AND SUPPORT SAID WOOVEN END PIECES AGAINST SAID LEAF MEMBERS; AND A PROJECTING BLOCK MEMBER EXTENDING PERPENDICULAR TO SAID TOP SURFACE AND SECURED TO SAID BASE MEMBER BETWEEN SAID LEAF MEMBERS TO SUPPORT SAID USHAPED CENTER PIECE; WHEREBY SAID U-SHAPED CHANNEL OF CORRUGATED SHEET MATERIAL CAN BE CONVENIENTLY STAPLED TO SAID WOODEN END PIECES AND SAID U-SHAPED CENTER PIECE. 